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El Cubo mine, Mexico

31st May 2019

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Name: El Cubo mine.        

Location: The El Cubo mine is located about 10 km east of Guanajuato City, Mexico.

Mine Owner/s: Endeavour Mining.

Brief History: Endeavour Mining acquired El Cubo in 2012, through the acquisition of issued and outstanding shares of Mexgold and the subsequent acquisition of Mexgold subsidiaries Compañía Minera Del Cubo, AuRico Gold, and Metales Interamericanos.

Brief Description: El Cubo is Endeavour Mining’s third and largest mine by silver equivalent production in Mexico.

The El Cubo mine comprises two discrete operational areas. Each area has separate, dedicated crews and infrastructure for access, stoping, ventilation, and ore haulage. The area separations are geographic, and by level.

Area 1 includes the upper portion of the vein system at the north end of the mine, with access on Levels +120, +60, and one on the Villalpando system from the Cecilia ramp. Mining in Area 1 occurs above and below Level 6 in the La Loca vein, below Level 3 down to Level 10 on the north end of the vein system, and above Level 3 elsewhere. Area 1 also includes area below Level 10 at the north end of the El Cubo concessions with access from the Lucia shaft.

Area 2 includes the southern end of the Villalpando and Dolores vein systems, and is principally accessed from the Dolores ramp at El Tajo and from a crosscut on Level 4.

Primary Metals: Silver and gold.

Secondary Metals: None stated.

Geology/Mineralisation: The El Cubo mine is located on the south-east flank of the Sierra Madre Occidental geological province in the south-eastern portion of the Sierra de Guanajuato, an anticlinal structure about 100 km long and 20 km wide. The property is underlain by a volcano-sedimentary sequence of Mesozoic- to Cenozoic-age volcanic, sedimentary and intrusive rocks, some members of which host the veins exploited by the mine. The Cenozoic rocks may have been emplaced in a caldera setting with hydrothermal alteration occurring at about 27 Ma.

Reserves: Total proven reserves as at December 31, 2018, were estimated 98 000 t grading 182 g/t silver and 1.95 g/t gold. Total probable reserves were estimated at 136 000 t/y grading 157 g/t silver and 1.4 g/t gold.

Resources: Total measured resources as at December 31, 2018, were estimated at 69 000 t grading 184 g/t silver and 2.12 g/t gold. Total indicated resources were estimated at 251 000 t/y grading 161 g/t silver and 1.54 g/t silver. Inferred resources were estimated at 845 000 t/y grading 149 g/t silver and 2.2 g/t gold.

Mining Method: Conventional drill-and-blast methods are used to extract the ore at El Cubo, and access to the mining areas is provided by ramps, adits and shafts.

Major Infrastructure and Equipment: The mine includes a ramp access underground mine and 1 500 t/d capacity flotation plant to produce bulk sulphide concentrates.

Prospects: Due to the remaining mine life, Endeavour will reduce the production rate in 2019 to half of the 1 500 t/d capacity and continue to explore for new recoveries.

Contact Details:
Endeavour Mining
Tel +1 604 685-9775
Email info@edrsilver.com
Website https://www.edrsilver.com

 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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